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Rosa Abedini

Rosa Abedini

Pre-kinder Associate Teacher

Maestra asociada de pre-kínder

rabedini@ebinternacional.org

Rosa Abedini was born in Lima, Peru and resides in El Cerrito with her husband Masoud. She has been working as a Spanish Teacher for several years in the East Bay. She has experience teaching Spanish to children from preschool through middle school. Her passion is to inspire children to love the Spanish culture and its richness. She enjoys spending time with family and good friends. She also enjoys Peruvian music and is a big fan of Diego de Cibela’s artwork.

Rita Saballos

Rita Saballos

Fourth Grade Teacher

Maestra de cuarto grado

rsaballos@ebinternacional.org

Rita was born in El Salvador and moved to the Bay Area in 2008. She has been a teacher and Family Advisor for preschool and first grade for 10 years. She obtained her teaching degree from the Evangelical University of El Salvador and holds an MA in Counseling and Family Education from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Before coming to EBI, she taught 6 year-old children at Centro Escolar La Floresta. As a teacher, one of her goals is to educate children with joy and freedom. Rita has worked with the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate for six years, and hopes to encourage students to develop the attributes of the PYP profile. Rita is married and has a daughter, she also feels fortunate to belong to the EBI family.

Daniel Nube

Head of Middle School

Director de la escuela intermedia

dnube@ebinternacional.org

Malú Offermann

Malú Offermann

Second Grade Teacher

Maestra de segundo grado

mofferman@ebinternacional.org

María Luisa Offermann, from Santiago Chile, teaches second grade at EBI. María Luisa is passionate about her teaching and has taught for the last 28 years. She has dedicated a great part of her career to teaching swimming to pre-school and school-aged children. She has studied Interior Architecture and has a degree in education from the University of Chile in Santiago. In addition to her work with children, María Luisa has worked as a personal trainer. She is also a massage therapist and a reflexologist. From 2005 to 2008 María Luisa served as a primary school teacher at the Farmland School in Chile in the areas of natural sciences, social studies, and technology and applied sciences. She has developed a strong understanding of the teaching and learning process that gives her an enormous amount of satisfaction in her current role at EBI.

Inés Olhaberry-Tisker

Pre-Kinder Teacher

Maestra de pre-kinder

itisker@ebinternacional.org

Hongyu Ovitt

Hongyu Ovitt

Mandarin Teacher

Maestra de mandarín

hovitt@ebinternacional.org

Prior to moving to the United States in 2013, Hongyu taught world history in middle and high schools in China for 25 years and is the author of numerous papers regarding the teaching of history. She also achieved certification as a national level psychological counselor. Since moving to the United States Hongyu has been employed as a Mandarin language teacher and has provided tutoring in Chinese.

Yésica Perea

Yésica Perea

Pre-kinder Associate Teacher

Maestra asociada de pre-kinder

yperea@ebinternacional.org

Yésica Perea was born in the city of Celaya, in Guanajuato, Mexico. She studied Tourism Administration obtaining her BA at the University of Guanajuato. Yesica lives in Fremont, California, with her husband. In 2007 she began her studies in Early Childhood Education at Chabot College and has a Site Supervisor Permit. She feels very lucky to have the opportunity to start a new career in the area of early childhood education and to do it in her native language. Her hobbies are painting, cooking, singing and watching suspense movies. Yésica has been working with children for seven years and she feels very proud of belonging to the staff of EBI.

José Rojas

Ernesto Rousseaux

Ernesto Rousseaux

Athletics Director and PE Teacher

Director de atletismo y Maestro de educación física

erousseaux@ebinternacional.org

Ernesto Rousseaux was born in Cuba, and received his Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education and Sports. He worked with students of all ages in Cuba, from lower school through university. He has experience teaching physical education to diverse learners. At EBI Ernesto has been an Aventura teacher, substitute teacher, second grade physical education teacher and as a coach for most of EBI middle school sports teams. This year he will be expanding his role as athletics director and physical education teacher. Ernesto will teach P.E. to kindergarteners and first graders.

Miriam Ruelas

Miriam Ruelas

Aventura and Substitute Teacher

Maestra de Aventura y maestra suplente

mruelas@ebinternacional.org

Miriam was born in the city of Torreón, México. After finishing her studies as an accountant and secretary she came to the US and decided to study Early Childhood Education at American College in San Francisco. She loves her job as a teacher and everything that relates to child development.

Patricia Sánchez

Patricia Sánchez

Pre-kinder Assistant Teacher

Maestra asistente de pre-kínder

psanchez@ebinternacional.org

Patricia Sánchez came to the Bay Area from Mexico City, with the idea of expanding her education and skills in the field of education. Before coming to the United States she was a teacher in her country at the elementary and secondary levels. In recent years she has been interested in teaching in early childhood classrooms. She believes that learning should never end, so she enjoys keeping up with her studies. For her, being a teacher is about transmitting and encouraging her students to explore, discover, and experience new and wonderful things. She appreciates, admires and respects the sensitivity, feelings and ideas of children. She is proud to have the privilege of being part of the EBI te

Patricia Monsalve

Third Grade Associate Teacher and Aventura Teacher

Maestra asociada de tercer grado y Maestra de Aventura

pmonsalve@ebinternacional.org

Licet Sandoval

First Grade Associate Teacher

Maestra asociada de primer grado

lsandoval@ebinternacional.org

Yanet Sandoval

Yanet Sandoval

Pre-kinder Teacher

Maestra de pre-kínder

ysandoval@ebinternacional.org

Yanet is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and has experience working with children of various ages, including preschoolers. She has most recently been a pre-kínder associate teacher at EBI where she is learning about the IB Primary Years Programme.

Norma Santiago

Norma Santiago

Pre-kinder Teacher

Maestra de pre-kinder

nsantiago@ebinternacional.org

Norma is from Puerto Rico. She came to Oakland, CA in 2000 and has been a member of the EBI faculty since August, 2007. Norma received her degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico. She has worked as a special education teacher, in regular school programs and as a tutor. She loves to share her energy, her talents and knowledge with children and the EBI community. Norma has two children and a granddaughter. Besides her passion for working with children, she also enjoys sewing, designing and cooking.

Melanie Slater

Melanie Slater

Fourth Grade English Teacher

Maestra de inglés de cuarto grado

mslater@ebinternacional.org

Melanie Slater was born in New Orleans, Louisiana but grew up in England, Texas and Newfoundland. She attended West Virginia University, earning a BA and MA in Elementary Education. She has taught primarily in early childhood education in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is excited to transition into the elementary grades. Along with her passion for education and youth, Melanie loves biking, playing music, sports and coaching. She is excited to join the EBI community as a second grade English associate teacher.

Paulina Tamés

Paulina Tamés

Kindergarten Teacher

Maestra de kínder

ptames@ebinternacional.org

Paulina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. Paulina holds a bacherlor’s degree in pedagogy and another in early childhood education. Paulina has been working with kindergarten-aged students for seven years and with the IB Primary Years Programme since 2009.

Roxana Taquechel

Roxana Taquechel

Middle School Spanish Teacher

Maestra de español de la escuela intermedia

rtaquechel@ebinternacional.org

Roxana Taquechel-Chaigneau, was born in Havana, Cuba where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Literature from the University of Havana. She also holds two Master's Degrees in Lexicology and a Ph.D. in Linguistics. She taught undergraduate courses in Sociolinguistics, Bilingualism, and Social Sciences and Interaction at the University of Paris. She completed her postdoctoral studies in Beijing. In the Bay Area, she has experience at the middle school level teaching Spanish classes for native and non-native speakers.

Olga Vega

First grade associate teacher

Maestra asociada de primer grado

ovega@ebinternacional.org

Karen Velasquez

Karen Velasquez

Director of Equity and Inclusion

kvelasquez@ebinternacional.org

Karen Velásquez is a native of El Salvador; she grew up in Baja, Mexico. She holds an M.A. in Education from Loyola Marymount University, an M.A. in Science of Management and a Bachelor's in Science of Management from the University of Phoenix. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education Leadership and Change from the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education. From 2005 to 2012 she served as a private school elementary principal. After moving to Oakland with her husband, mother, and three cats, she served as a Spanish teacher and department chair from 2012 to 2017 for an Independent elementary school. She is passionate about reimagining institutional values, for example, by promoting more equitable and inclusive learning environments in schools.

Merly Vicente

Merly Vicente

Pre-kinder Teacher

Maestra de pre-kinder

mvicente@ebinternacional.org

Merly Vicente was born in Lima, Peru and has a degree in Law and Political Science. Five years ago, she arrived to the Bay Area with the goal of working in the bilingual educational system. Working with children has given her a different perspective on life and changed her values and feelings in a way that causes her to feel more creative and productive within the community. Merly believes the multiculturalism in EBI is very important in a child’s life. Merly completed studies for teacher in early childhood education. She continues studying to remain current in the area of education and to enrich her work with children.

Gina Wattley

Gina Wattley

Library Assistant

Asistente de la biblioteca

gwattley@ebinternacional.org

Gina Wattley, was raised in the United States and abroad as her father was in the military. She studied Biology and some Spanish at Indiana University in Bloomington before moving to California for her schooling at UC Berkeley. Before joining the EBI team, she worked as an optometrist in the Bay Area. She is the parent of two children here at EBI.

Anita Wilson

EBI Alcatraz Receptionist

Recepcionista de EBI Alcatraz

awilson@ebinternacional.org

Deysi Mora

Deysi Mora

Pre-kinder Associate Teacher

Maestra asociada de pre-kínder

dmora@ebinternacional.org

Deysi is originally from Los Angeles, California but lived many years in Guadalajara, Mexico where she studied her undergraduate program in tourism. Seven years ago, Deysi returned to the U.S. and settled in the East Bay. Deysi’s family is latina, and she is very proud of her roots.
Deysi’s desire to continue growing and the motivation she feels from her great love for children led her to register for courses at Chabot College where she obtained her diploma as an early childhood associate teacher. It is very important for Deysi to respect the learning styles of each one of her children and she works daily to identify and plan learning strategies that allow her students to construct meaningful knowledge.

Sandra Millán

Sandra Millán

Technology Systems Director

Directora de llos sistemas de tecnología

smillan@ebinternacional.org

Sandra was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela where she earned her degree in Computer Science at Intituto Universitario de Tecnología Venezuela. She has over five years of experience teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She worked as a Spanish Instructor and Director Assistant in Houston, Texas where she lived for 5 years. Sandra also has over 10 years of expertise in networking technology. Sandra has been part of the EBI family since 2006. Sandra has managed the operations and technology of the school over the last three years. Sandra is married and the mother of one son.

Paloma Baquerizo

Paloma Baquerizo

Development and Special Events Director

Directora de desarrollo y de eventos especiales

pbaquerizo@ebinternacional.org

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, Paloma Baquerizo holds a Law degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. After working as a Public Defender and an International Contracts Attorney, she moved to Berkeley. Here in the Bay Area she worked in Immigration Law for over 15 years. A firm believer in multilingual immersion programs, she and her husband are raising two trilingual sons. Paloma has seen the benefits of an international education both, in the academic and cultural aspects. She is proud to be involved in EBI’s pioneering program where she can bring her experience and enthusiasm.

Marina Carrillo

Marina Carrillo

Kindergarten Teacher

Maestra de kínder

mcarrillo@ebinternacional.org

Marina is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico where she received a bachelor’s degree in education. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in innovation in education. Marina has worked with kindergarten-aged students in a school with the IB Primary Years Programme for the last three years.

Erica Castro

Community Programs Interim Coordinator

Coordinadora interina de programas comunitarios

ecastro@ebinternacional.org

Gloria Costas

Assistant to the Director of Finance and Administration and HR Manager

Gloria Costas

Gloria Costas was born in Barcelona, Spain and has lived in the Bay Area since 1993. Gloria has a degree from the Tourism and Business college of Barcelona and a Certificate in Translation from the University of Manoa, Hawaii. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, French and Catalan, her native language, and understands Portuguese and German. Gloria brings enthusiasm and experience to EBI. She is married to Rob, a Berkeley native, and they have two sons.

Julie Duff

Julie Duff

Second Grade English Teacher

Maestra de inglés de segundo grado

jduff@ebinternacional.org

Julie earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from William and Mary College and has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Education from Stanford University. She has taught lower school students and supervised student teachers at Mills College laboratory school. She has worked closely with education faculty to bridge theory and practice through lesson study. Julie has taught graduate courses in children’s social, emotional and intellectual development and advised graduate students in thesis research at the University of California, Berkeley. She also taught graduate courses in Philosophy of Education and served as thesis advisor to graduate students in Education at Stanford University.

Cindy Estrada

Community Programs and Aventura Assistant

Asistente de los programas comunitarios y de Aventura

cestrada@ebinternacional.org

Carlota Fernández

Carlota Fernández

First Grade Teacher

Maestra de primer grado

cfernandez@ebinternacional.org

Carlota is originally from Madrid, Spain where she completed a bachelor’s degree in history and archeology. She also has a postgraduate degree in education. Carlota has most recently been a 1st grade associate teacher at EBI where she has immersed herself in and learning about the IB Primary Years Programme.

Jon Fulk

Jon Fulk

Head of School

Director de la escuela

jfulk@ebinternacional.org

Jon Fulk has been Head of School for Escuela Bilingüe Internacional since 2008. Under Jon’s leadership, EBI became authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to deliver the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and attained candidate status for the Middle Years Programme (MYP). Jon has extensive experience with the IB and in bilingual education. Since Jon’s arrival, the school also expanded its physical space through the acquisition of our San Pablo Campus in Emeryville, opening its doors there in the fall of 2011. Jon has led EBI through a period of rapid growth, from a school of 119 students in 2008 to our current community population of 370 students and nearly 80 faculty and staff.

Jon joined EBI after spending 11 years living in Mexico City, Mexico where he worked at The American School Foundation (ASF), first as a teacher, then as Assistant Head and finally as Head of the Lower School, overseeing approximately 940 students, 700 families and 98 full-time faculty and staff.

Originally from Ohio, Jon holds a B.A. in history from The University of Toledo, an M.A. in Educational Administration from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Elementary Education from The University of Alabama and has completed his doctoral coursework in Education Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota.

Jennifer Galloso

Jennifer Galloso

Head of Pre-Kinder to First Grade

Directora de pre-kínder a primero de primaria

jengalloso@ebinternacional.org

Jennifer holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru, where she grew up. She completed undergraduate work in early childhood education at the Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón in Peru. Jennifer has worked in early childhood education for over 18 years, both in Peru and the United States. This extensive experience has supported her to develop a deep understanding of how young learners make meaning of themselves and the world around them. After moving to the Bay Area, Jennifer studied educational administration at San Francisco State University, where she received her master’s degree. In addition to teaching, Jennifer has several years of experience as a pre-kinder director. Jennifer’s educational philosophy aligns closely with that of the International Baccalaureate, and she is anxious to share her extensive knowledge of early childhood education with our community. In addition to being a new EBI team member, Jennifer is an incoming EBI parent with twins entering pre-kinder in the fall. Jennifer’s partner, José Antonio, is EBI’s Middle Years Programme coordinator and middle school individuals and societies teacher.

José Antonio Galloso

José Antonio Galloso has more than thirteen years of experience as a teacher and has worked at the school and university level. He considers that one can only be an educator if you understand that you are responding to a profound professional call. He is Peruvian and has studies in Audiovisual Communication, Spanish and Creative Writing.

Besides being a teacher he is a writer and photographer. He has published three novels and a collection of short stories for young adults with Alfaguara publishing house. These books are required readings in many Peruvian schools as part of their reading plan. Also has published a poetry book and a visual poetry book in collaboration with the Chilean artist Franz Fischer, Peskador. Jose Antonio’s literary work has been included in several anthologies and has obtained awards. As a photographer he has published in different printed means and on the web; besides having participated in many collective exhibitions.

Jose Antonio feels very lucky to be part of the EBI community since he has found not only a great group of people that has received him with open arms, but also has a great affinity between his vision of education and the philosophy of the school and the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Tatiana González

Tatiana González

Second Grade English Associate Teacher

Maestra asociada de inglés de segundo grado

tgonzalez@ebinternacional.org

Tatiana Yadira González is Salvadorian-American born and raised in San Francisco. She has worked at EBI since their doors opened in 2006. She is studying Child and Adolescent Development with an emphasis in Young child and Family at San Francisco State University. She has worked with children for over 11 years and loves to learn how the minds of children work. She is interested in discovering what they can achieve, no matter their age. She believes that she has great potential to help them develop their minds. Tatiana has taught Pre-Kinder for the past 8 years and will begin working in 1st grade and thinks this is a great opportunity to further develop her work with children.

Jessica Hannerdumath

Facilities Manager

Gerente de instalaciones

jhannerdumath@ebinternacional.org

Rosa Mendoza

Rosa Mendoza

First Grade Teacher

Maestra de primer grado

rmendoza@ebinternacional.org

Rosy Mendoza-Brown is from Guadalajara, Mexico. She got her BA in Education in Mexico and earned her AssociateTeacher Certificate in Early Childhood Education from Peralta College. Before joining EBI she worked as a Spanish teacher in Albany schools. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to teach first grade at EBI. This is her sixth year.As a teacher, Rosy’s goal is to prepare her students for a better world and to encourage children to be inquirers. Rosy is married and has one daughter in 7th grade. When Rosy is not teaching she enjoys taking her dog for long walks, reading and watching sports.

Karen Hayes

Karen Hayes

Advancement Director

khayes@ebinternacional.org

Karen Hayes spent the first 18 years of her career in Sales & Marketing at a global consumer products firm. As an executive, Karen traveled extensively both nationally and internationally
creating and executing strategic selling platforms, re-launching billion dollar brands and developing retention work processes for top talent.

After giving birth to her son in 2012, Karen decided that she wanted to embark on a new professional journey in life as well.

In 2014, Karen founded and launched Bounce Blowdry Bar. Her goal was to create an environment where women of all backgrounds could come together and celebrate their beauty- both inside and out. Bounce quickly became a success and was recognized by national media powerhouses such as Good Morning America and the New York Times for unique contributions in the community.

Karen received her B.S. in Marketing from Howard University and her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. In the community, Karen has been an active member of the Big Brother, Big Sister program, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and has served as a volunteer tutor. She also contributed to the development of those pursuing a higher education by working as a college instructor for Business Management courses.

Karen loves spending time with her family, exploring new cuisines, traveling and volunteering in the community. What excites Karen most about joining the EBI team is having the opportunity to be a positive force in a changing world where our children are the future.

Rosa Huezo

Zeltzin Jiménez

Zeltzin Jiménez

Executive Assistant to the Head of School

Asistente del Director de la Escuela

zjimenez@ebinternacional.org

Zeltzin was born and raised in Mexico City, where she studied Law, and practiced Intellectual Property Law with a focus in trademarks and copyright. She obtained her certificate in Spanish-English Legal Interpretation from SF State University in 2016, and considers bilingualism a valuable and extremely useful skill in today’s increasingly global community. Zeltzin joined the EBI community in the Spring 2012 and is very happy to be a member of a team in which diversity, the richness of different cultures, and learning are present every day. She lives in Oakland with her husband Russell, and they both enjoy to travel, try new restaurants and revisit old favorites, and every now and then, to just stay home and watch movies.

Victoria Ladew

Victoria Ladew

Head of Lower School (2nd to 5th grade)

Directora de 2º a 5º de primaria

vladew@ebinternacional.org

Victoria Ladew was born in the Bay Area, but she was raised in sunny El Paso, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, and moved back to the Bay Area to work in child welfare for the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office. She also worked with Family Builders, a Bay Area nonprofit organization where she worked to help match children in care with adoptive families.Victoria received her teaching education at Mills College in Oakland, where she earned her Masters of Education degree with an emphasis in teaching, as well as a California Teaching Credential. Victoria is thrilled to be part of the EBI community, where she can teach children in a constructivist and inquiry-based way, using each child’s own curiosity as the driving force. Her guiding philosophy is simple: treat children with respect – as people who can help us all learn about the world.Victoria loves to travel with her husband, and has traveled through Europe, the UK, China, and into Mexico. She believes that there is true value in being a global citizen – one who can adapt and appreciate differences.

Royland Lobato

Kindergarten Associate Teacher

Maestro asociado de kínder

rlobato@ebinternacional.org

Adwoa Mante'ete'

Adwoa Mante'ete'

First Grade English Teacher

Maestra de inglés de primer grado

amanteete@ebinternacional.org

Adwoa was born in Berkeley and has lived almost every place in the Bay Area except San Francisco. She has been working with children since she was a child. Adwoa began work as a Multicultural Education Specialist. Since then she has worked as an aide, Director of an After-School program, a P.E. Teacher, a trainer of English Language Teachers, a first, second, and third grade teacher, and a science, math and English teacher. Adwoa has taught science to students kindergarten through high school, math to students from pre-school to college, and all other subjects, including English, from pre-school through elementary school.
Adwoa graduated from Mills College with a degree in Biology. She did graduate work in physiological psychology. She obtained her teaching credential from Chapman University. Outside of education Adwoa’s passions are baseball and blues, being a mom to Shannon Kofi, and making the world a better place, not necessarily in that order. She loves working and playing with children. Adwoa is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to teach at a wonderful school.

Roy Martínez

Second Grade Associate Teacher

Maestro asociado de segundo grado

rmartinez@ebinternacional.org

Francisco Mejía López

Third Grade Teacher

Maestro de tercer grado

fmejia@ebinternacional.org

Yovana Zapana

Yovana Zapana

Kindergarten associate teacher

Maestra asociada de kindergarten

yzapana@ebinternacional.org

Yovana is originally from Tacna, Peru. She obtained a bachelor's degree in medical science and a master's in obstetrics. Yovana is a fist grade associate teacher at EBI; she enjoys learning about the IB Primary Years Programme.